Inspiration Point Read online

  Inspiration Point

  By M.A. Casey

  Text Copyright © 2012 M.A.Casey

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission of the author except where permitted by law.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Published by

  M.A. Casey

  Orange, NSW 2800

  To my husband Steve and my two incredible kids Livvy and Archie. For always understanding when I was tucked away with my book.

  And to my beautiful friends Michelle, Nic & Sharon who ignited my passion of books.

  xoxo

  Table Of Contents

  Prologue

  Ghosts

  Confused

  Experiment

  Missing

  Honest

  Explanation

  Plans

  Rebuilding

  Escape

  Trapped

  Betrayed

  Discoveries

  Separation

  Proposition

  Surprises

  Change of Plan

  Test Subject

  Alliance

  Trap

  Erased

  Loose Ends

  First Date

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  He was cornered. I could see fear in his eyes as beads of sweat fell from his weary face. We'd been questioning him for hours, and he had given us nothing. We were going to have to find another way.

  I gave a signal for my men to end the beating. Bruised and exhausted he begged us to stop.

  “There is only one way this can end, you know that,” I said as I crossed the room to pull him up to the chair.

  He sucked deep breaths back as he spoke. “We never found a way, I promise. Do you think I would be in this dead end job if we did?”

  “I have evidence that proves otherwise,” I confirmed unsympathetically. “So, this is what you are going to do. You are going to find all your old lab work, retrace every damn step if you have to, and then you are going to bring everything you have to me. We will be watching every move you make, so think carefully. If I am satisfied with what you find, I will allow you to go.”

  “I don’t know if there is anything left, I have explained that,” he pleaded. Tears were escaping his eyes, making him look pathetic. It was hard to believe that this man was part of one of the most astounding discoveries of our time. He was the weaker of the two scientists which is why I chose him to begin with. He was Plan A, if it didn’t work I would kill him and move onto Plan B.

  “You had better hope for your sake there is something left. You have forty eight hours, and we'll be back. Don’t disappoint me.”

  My men and I walked to the door as I closed it; he broke down and sobbed unashamedly. I left instructions that he was to be followed, and went to my car. I could only hope that we had scared him enough to get what I wanted. What I needed.

  Ghosts

  With the school day finished, I was making my way to a lecture at the University where my father works. You see I'm in my last year of high school, and whilst I am thoroughly average in just about every way, I do seem to excel in biology, physics and chemistry. Although, it’s not exactly a surprise when you know who my father is. And whilst that is where I truly feel at home – in a lab. It's probably also the reason that I don’t have any friends – well except for one, Tyler Weston. He's also been chosen for the advanced lectures at the University which I am grateful for, at least I have someone to talk to.

  He usually waits for me at the gates of the University, and today is no exception. I see him sitting under a tree enjoying the warm day and reading another biochemistry book, not noticing my approach.

  Tyler is seventeen just like me; in fact, our birthdays are only a few weeks apart. He transferred to Cape High two years ago, and we have been friends ever since. He approached me one day at lunch, after one of our classes. We started talking about physics and chemistry, and before I knew it, we became best friends. It was a pleasant change, as the only people who ever spoke to me before this were the teachers or my brother and his friends who would just make some joke at my expense.

  I watch him for a moment as he sits under the large tree, his blonde hair shimmering where the filtered sunlight hits it. When he notices me walking towards him, he grabs his backpack and jumps to his feet.

  “Hey Hayln, I’m just making a few more notes before I return this book to your Dad,” he says grinning.

  He is easily a whole head taller than me now and has filled out even more since the last holidays, which he is quite happy about. He has always had an exceptionally strong physique, and most people expected him to be an athlete of some kind when he arrived on his first day. Even I had made that assumption. So you can imagine how surprised I was, as well as the entire student body, to find out that he was more like me than them. In fact, I have no idea how he keeps in such excellent shape as we spend most of our spare time here in the labs of the University.

  “You’ll have read every book in my father’s collection before the end of the year at this rate,” I say teasing him.

  “Just trying to keep up with the child prodigy,” he grins. He turns and continues to walk with me as I make my way to my father’s office on the northern side of the grounds.

  My father is Ethan Knox, a rather famous Biochemist at one time. Now he is the head lecturer here at Cape University, and has been since I was born. Before teaching, he and his partner Able Crowson had their own private laboratory, which was successful in discovering a number of vaccines that are now widely used in the medical field. As well as being a published author for his work in molecular genetics and bioengineering. He told me once, that when he had his children he felt his passion switch from endless lab research and testing to teaching. Which is why I suppose, seventeen years later he is still here.

  My talents even at a high school level have always captured the attention of my teachers – mostly because they couldn’t keep up with me. I have always spent a lot of time with my father here at the university, and because this stuff comes so naturally to me my brother often refers to me as the prodigy. A term I hate, which is why Tyler is teasing me with it now.

  As we enter the hall to my father’s office, Tyler asks, “Have you finished the lab work for today’s lecture?”

  I try not to sound too confident, as I know this homework was meant to challenge us, but I had finished it on the first night without much fuss at all. So I just said, “yeah, finally what about you?”

  “All done,” he said. “Although I'm not sure I’ll get very good marks on this one.”

  “I'm sure you’ll do fine – you usually do,” I say as I pat him on the back. He smiles back at me shaking his head.

  “Not all of us are naturally gifted with a published biochemist at their beck and call Hayln.” We both laugh as I knock on my father’s office door. There's no answer, so we go inside and wait.

  Tyler was chosen to be a part of this program, as was I. But whilst he breezes through everything given to us in High School, he does find this advanced program much more challenging. I suppose I do have my father to help me if needed, but I rarely do. I keep this to myself though, as any extra attention in class is not something I want to encourage, but I suspect Tyler knows anyway.

  My father’s office is like most of the Head Lecturer’s here. One wall with oversized windows overlooking the grounds, and the other three stacked with books to the ceiling - all of
which I have read. His desk seems unusually disorganized today even for him. He must have something on his mind or a new theory, I think to myself before Tyler interrupts my reverie.

  “Hayln?” He asks with a little trepidation in his voice. “There’s a good band playing at the Sweat Room tomorrow night, and I wondered if you wanted to come with me?”

  It intrigues me why he sounds so nervous. It’s not like we don’t do things together outside school, and then I realized it was probably because of the venue. It’s a place where my brother Emin and his friends always hang out, and they wouldn’t allow an opportunity pass to have a joke at my expense if they were there.

  “The Sweat Room?” I ask. “I didn’t realize you knew any of the bands that played there”.

  “Well to be totally honest I don’t. I heard in the locker room at school that the band playing tomorrow night is meant to be awesome, and we haven’t been there before, so I thought it might be interesting.”

  “Well, if it was said in the locker room, it must be true,” I joke with him. “But sure, sounds like fun.”

  “Great!” He sounds chuffed; he must have been expecting another answer. “We can sort out the details after class, we better get going now though, or we’ll be late.”

  He was right; it was time to get going. My father must have been caught up somewhere.

  “I'd better leave a note so he doesn’t forget I need a lift home.”

  I scribbled on a piece of his letterhead on the desk and leave it on the top of the pile as we headed off to Professor Gregor’s lecture.

  The presentation was quite compelling today, although it covered formula’s I had learnt by the time I was twelve. With the session over, we handed in our lab work. Professor Gregor found mine and started going over the results I’d listed approvingly.

  “Well done Miss Knox, it seems once again this hasn’t presented much of a challenge for you has it?”

  “I wouldn’t say that Professor,” I hedged, just wanting to leave the classroom before the predictions of how my talents might change the world began.

  “It seems I might have to get your father to help me set you something that might challenge your knowledge.”

  I smiled awkwardly, looking at my feet and hoped they would take me out of the classroom as quickly as possible. I heard Tyler say goodbye to a few other students and the Professor. He caught up to me just outside the room.

  “You made a quick escape again,” he said. “Avoiding more praise and admiration I assume?”

  I sighed; he knew how I felt about this stuff. “It’s as if they're all waiting for me to rewrite history or something. Like at any moment I will have an epiphany and change the world in a heartbeat.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic,” he said rolling his eyes. “They just know you are incredibly talented, and it is exciting to them. We would all give anything to have a quarter of your talent”.

  “That’s just it though,” as I spoke the words were coming out fast. “All this classroom stuff is fine but the things my father did before teaching, well they…. they did change the world in a way, and that’s the stuff I have no idea about. I have gone over his studies, and I understand them all. But the places where he started from, the inspiration point as he calls it, that’s what I’m lacking. And without that, I doubt I will be doing anything ground breaking anytime soon.”

  “Hayln, you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. No one is expecting miracles of you. They just want to give you every opportunity to reach your full potential.”

  “Ugh, you sound just like my father,” I complain.

  Tyler stops walking, “look let’s forget about that for a while okay.” I manage a small smile, but can already feel myself calming down. “What about tomorrow night, will I pick you up at eight?”

  Pick me up, I think to myself, that sounds a bit formal. “How about I just meet you there, it will save you an extra fifteen minute drive anyway.”

  He considers this for a moment. “Well, if that’s what you’d prefer. Just meet at the pizza place down the road. I don’t want you to be hanging around the Sweat Room on your own.” Now I was the one rolling my eyes.

  “Okay, see you tomorrow then,” I said as I took the turn back to my father’s office.

  “Yeah can’t wait,” he said energetically, and he followed the rest of the students as they left the campus.

  On my way back to my father’s office, I noticed posters for the benefit which is to be held next week in his honor - not that I was going. They've had a couple of these over the years for different reasons, and Dad knows how much I hate formal attire. He doesn’t force me to attend anymore, which is why I'd forgotten this one was next week. He still hasn’t returned when I arrive back in his office, I sit in his chair and get started on my homework from school. I may be a whiz in science and math, but my history and english leave a lot to be desired, so I concentrated on them.

  After an hour, I’ve made a reasonable dent in my work and start wondering where he might be. It’s not unusual that you might not see him for a while, especially if he is in a lab somewhere. I glance to the phone wondering whether I should call his mobile, when I notice the photo on his desk. It’s a photo of my whole family, my father, my mother, Emin and me, taken when I was five years old. I know this because I remember it was taken one week after my birthday, and two weeks before my parents decided to get a divorce.

  I don’t think I will ever forget it. Emin and I were playing outside; it had just started to get cold so I told him that I wanted to go back in. We were almost at the back door when we heard them fighting. Emin stopped me before we could go in, but I was old enough to know that it was my parents voices who were yelling at each other, although this was the first time I had ever heard them speak like this.

  My mother sounded furious, screaming and crying, and although I could hear my father trying to calm her down, she didn’t. It wasn’t long after that she came out the back door and took Emin by the hand and told him that they were leaving. He started crying instantly, and so did I. We had both been too scared to move up to this point because of the yelling. Now he just kept repeating “Hayln, Hayln” between sobs and I called back to him. But my mother simply turned and looked at me and said, “She is staying with her father,” and then she scooped Emin up and took him away. I followed them, still crying until I reached the front door where I saw their bags packed. I stopped calling for Emin then and simply called for my mother. Pleading with her to stop, to realize that this was a mistake, and to stay. But she took the bags and my brother and left. With my eyes still full of tears, I remember feeling my father’s arms lift me to his chest where he kissed the tears away. Reassuring me that it would all be okay, and then I saw his face. The truth of what had just happened was written all over it. Our family had just been broken in two, and my mother and brother were never coming back to us.

  I remember this moment every time I look at this photo, and wonder if my father remembers the same thing when he looks at it. Of course, time has smoothed the edges over, but our family has never been the same.

  Emin stayed with my mother since that night, and I have stayed with my father. We each spend one weekend a month at the other parent’s house. This means, Emin and I see each other every second weekend, and I see my mother for two days of each month - twenty four days a year and every second Christmas and birthday. This is something I have always struggled with.

  I remember times before our family fell apart, when she would be just like all mothers were supposed to be - affectionate, adoring, patient and loving. She is none of these things now.

  I am not sure whether it’s because I was so desperate when I was younger to feel like she still loved me, that it felt so much worse when she wouldn’t respond to me the way I wanted her to. But I have become used to our polite relationship now, to the point where it felt uncomfortable calling her Mum anymore, so I started calling her by her first name - Evelyn. This made everything worse, although she didn’t
say anything to me. It was Emin who told me that he heard her crying in her room that night, sobbing my name. After that, I went back to calling her Mum and persisting with our courteous relationship to this very day.

  It was Emin who I truly missed. We were inseparable when we were young and were devastated when we were torn apart. At first, this made our bond stronger. We shared everything with each other. Even when I stayed, he always made his friends include me with whatever plans they had. This was something that truly aggravated his best friend Zeke, which always brought a smile to my face. I have known Ezekiel Banner since I was born; he is like my second much more annoying older brother – although if you call him by his full name he will just as likely deck you. Zeke has been Emin’s best friend my whole life. Therefore, he has also been forced to put up with me for that whole time too.

  We all went to school together, which I loved, because it was more time I got to spend with Emin. Even though he was two years above me, he always made me feel welcome. As I was a loner, he protected me when I needed it, and spent time with me when he could. I tried not to monopolize his time, but because we didn’t get to see each other often we genuinely wanted to spend time together – this was a concept which was lost on Zeke.

  It wasn’t until I started to excel at school, and was getting compared to my father all the time, that our relationship became more strained. Instead of wanting to catch up and tell each other everything, when we did see each other, he concentrated on his friends, computer games, or motorcycles. Then with the help of Zeke, he started to tease me incessantly. That’s when they started calling me Daddy’s Prodigy. It wasn’t all bad, we still had some time together, and after he graduated it started to improve.

  I put the photo back in its place, and as I did my father burst through the door, his face drained of any color.

  “Hayln? What are you doing here?” He sounded distressed.

  As he was talking, I had already jumped to my feet and started moving around the desk to where he stood, trying to compose himself.